As Tower Fades At Home, It Still Shines Abroad

Sacbee:
Ronnie Delany, Tower Records‘ man in Ireland, says the company’s demise is ‘a crying shame.’

But it’s not fatal to his business. He’s a franchisee who owns his 2 Tower stores, and they will continue operating after the U.S. company completes its going-out-of-business sale this month.

‘We’re a long way from America,’ he said in a phone interview from Dublin. ‘It doesn’t really affect us.’

Like satellites surviving the death of their host planet, Tower’s international stores soldier on. The company’s legendary red-and-yellow logo still shines at 142 franchised locations in 7 countries.

In Japan, the world’s 2nd largest music market, Tower remains one of the top retailers. Partly owned by Tokyo telecom giant NTT DoCoMo, Tower Japan has added 31 stores since the U.S. corporation sold the business 4 years ago.

On a more modest scale, Tower Ireland is holding its own against tough competitors like Virgin Megastores.

‘Business is great. It’s very strong. It’s an institution here,’ said Delany, an Irish entrepreneur who bought the stores from the U.S. corporation in 2003. Continued…